Take-up mechanism for kinetoscopes.



R. .I. EMORY.

TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KINETOSCOPES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE II. I914.

Patented Sept. 3,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

R. J. EMORY.

TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KINETOSCOPES. APPLICAT ION FILED JUNE 11. 1914.

1 ,Q'Y'Yflffi 9 Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETSQSHEET 2.

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EOBERT J. EMORY, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNO'R T0 BAIIRI'D MOTION PICTURE MACHINE Gil, A CORPORATIOTN OF NEW JERSEY.

TAKE-U]? MECHANISM FOR KINEI'OSCOTPES.

Application filed June It, 19M.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. EMORY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Take-Up Mechanism for Kinetoscopes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to take-up mechanism used in connection with kinetoscopes or moving picture machines, and relates particularly to means for rotating the reel so as to avoid tearing or injuringthe film.

The main or primary object of the invention is to maintain a practically constant tension upon the film and automaticaly limiting or reducing the driving power when the tension increases beyond a predetermined point, thus preventing'tearing or mutilation of the film, and the invention consists broadly in providing a coupling between the reel and the driving means therefor which will normally increase the power as the Weight of the film on the reel increases, but which will permit increasing slippage when excess tension is exerted on the film.

Theinvention further consist in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts which will be obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings which will be more fully set forth in the following description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a take-up reel and driving mechanism therefor embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 represents an end View of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the use of a yielding support for the film reel.

Fig. 4 is aside elevation of a modified form of take-up reel embodying my invention.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 4:.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail View showing one form of friction member having a detachable contacting surface.

Referring particularly to the mechanism shown in the drawings the take-up device is supported in any sultable manner as by specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3. 1918. Serial No. $44,389.

a table 1 that also supports the kinetoscope 2 (indicated diagrammatically). The film 3 is fed through suitable openings preferably between rollers to the take-up reel 5 that is preferably fixed on a shaft 6 mounted in an arm 7. This arm is pivoted as at S to the table or other support by any suitable means as the bracket 9. it friction member, such as the roller or pulley 10 is mounted to rotate with the reel preferably by being fixed to the shaft 6. Said memberbears against a corresponding pulley or friction member 11 that is mounted upon a shaft 12 having bearings in an arm 14: secured to the table and preferably formed integral with the bracket 9. A sprocket wheel 15 is keyed to this shaft 12 and is driven at approximately uniform speed by a belt, chain or other connection 16 from a suitable source. of power the main shaft 17. lln the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the friction members comprise two pulleys having their shafts 6 and 12 arranged approximately in the same vertical plane so that the pulleys will remain normally in contact with each other and in such relation that increase of weight will increase the friction between them. lit is only necessary, however, that the two friction members shall remain in frictional driving engagement under normal working conditions. If desired, a spring 18 may be arranged bc tween the pivoted arm 7 and the table to support a portion of the weight of the empty reel. Preferably means such as the turn screw 19 is provided for adjusting the tension of the spring so that reels of different weights may be used without modifying the normal operation of the device.

Instead of having the friction members arranged one above the other, however, the

axes of the friction members may be arranged in line as shown in Figs. -l to ('3 inclusive, in which the relatively movable friction member partially incloses the relatively fixed friction member. In this construction the stationary arm 20 and the pivoted arm 21 are approximately parallel with each other and both are suitably bent to receive the friction members between them. The driving member 22 is fixed to the inner end of the driving shaft 2% and the driven member is fixed to the inner end of the driven shaft 25. The driven member till Eli

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ing and the driven members may be determined to some extent by the material of the contacting surface. In case large reels are employed that are adapted to carry long films of considerable weight, the contacting surfaces may be of a material having a relatively large coefficient of slippage whereas if smaller reels are employed that. are adapted for shorter films, the friction surfaces may be of a material having a relatively high coefficient of friction. Preferably one or both of the friction members are so constructed that the contacting surface may be changed by removing one of the edges or side walls 28 of the pulley as shown in Fig. 7. The side walls may be secured in any suitable manner as by screws permitting them to be readily removed, and a new facing 29 substituted.

In operation, the film is fed through the machine onto the take-up reel which is rotated from the sprocket wheel 15 through the friction members 10 and 11 respectively. As the diameter of the roll upon the reel increases, the weight of the reel also increases iira corresponding ratio. This normally increases the coefficient of friction between the two contacting surfaces of the friction members and thus an approximately uniform pull or tension is maintained automatically on the film. At the same time, the friction members are-always free to slip with respect.

to each other so that tearing or mutilation of the film is avoided. Consequently, the driving friction member can be operated at an approximately constant speed, notwithstanding the varying size and weight of the film upon the film reel.

Although I have shown friction pulleys having a friction material thereon, it is obvious that various other forms of friction members may be employed and it will be obvious also that various other omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its mode of operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim- 1. In a take-up mechanism, the combination with a pulley constituting a driving member, a stationary bearing for said driv ing member and means for rotating said member, of a driven member mounted to revolve about a horizontal axis in frictional engagement with the periphery of the driv- 1ng member and supported thereby, a movable bearing for said driven member and a take-up reel secured to said driven mem-' her and rotated thereby, and means acting on the reel tending to neutralize its weight,

said frictional engagement being varied by the amount of film on the take-up reel.

2. In a take'up mechanism, the combination with feed sprocket shaft, a driving member comprising a roller, means driven from the feed sprocket shaft for rotating said driving member at approximately constant speed, a driven member comprising a roller in frictional engagement with said driving roller and driven exclusively thereby, a take-up reel operatively connected to said driven member, means acting on said take-up reel tending to neutralize its weight, said driven member being ar'anged to engage the top of the driving member and be supported thereby so thatincreasc of weight on the reel will correspondingly increase the frictional contact between said driving and driven members.

3. In a take-up mechanism, the combination with a film feeding device, a driving member comprising a pulley having a frietion bearing face, a stationary bearing for said driving member and means for rotating said driving member, of a driven mem ber comprising a pulley having a friction bearing surface normally resting upon the driving member movable with relation thereto, and held in driving engagement with the driving member entirely by the accummulated Weight of the film wound thereon and a take up reel positioned below said film feeding device operatively connected with said driven member to transfer the weight of film carried thereby to the driven member.

4. In a take-up mechanism for kineto-. scopes, the combination with a main driving shaft, of a friction pulley mounted in a fixed bearing below said shaft, means for driving said friction pulley from the shaft, a driven member mounted in a pivoted bearing and normally resting upon said pulley and being driven thereby, a take'up reel rotated by said driven member and supported from the friction pulley, the axis of said driven member being normally arranged approximately in the vertical plane passing through the axes of the main driving shaft and the driven pulley, and a film feeding device positioned above said reel and operatively connected to be driven from said main shaft.

5. In a take-up mechanism for kinetoscopes, the combination with a stationary bracket provided with a rigid arm having a bearing-therein, a shaft mounted in said bearing, a friction pulley secured to said shaft adjacent one end thereof, and means for rotating said shaft, of a radius rod pivoted to said bracket and substantially the same length as the arm,'a shaft mounted in said radius rod, a friction pulley secured to said last mentioned shaft adjacent one end thereof and engaging said first mentioned pulley and a take-up reel on said last mentioned shaft, whereby the increase of Weight on the reel as the film is wound thereon, act-s to increase the friction between the said pulleys, and a spring acting on said radius rod tending to disconnect said friction pulleys.

6. In a take-up mechanism for kinetoscopes, the combination with a stationary bracket provided with a rigid arm having abearing therein, a shaft mounted in said bearing, a friction pulley secured to said shaft adjacent one end thereof. and means for rotating said shaft, of a radius rod pivoted to said bracket and substantially the same length as the arm, a shaft mounted in said radius rod, a friction pulley secured to said last mentioned shaft adjacent one end thereof and engaging said first mentioned pulley and a take-up reel on said last mentioned shaft, whereby the increase of weight on the reel as the film is wound thereon, acts to increase the friction between the said pulleys and a spring acting on said radius arm to reduce the friction between the pulleys.

'Z. In a device of the class described, the combination with a take-up reel adapted to have the film fed thereto, a friction drive for the same spaced from the film and in cluding a driving and a driven member rotatable about parallel axes and their peripheriea continuously in frictional driving engagement, and adjustable means controlled by the weight of the film carried by the reel for regulating the frictional driving engagement between the driving and the driven members.

8. In a. device of the class described, the combination with a support, a take-up reel adapted to have the film wound thereon, a shaft for turning said reel, a bearing for said shaft mounted for slight vertical movement, and adaptedto'be depressed by increase of the weight of the film on the reel, a vertically extending spring with one end engaging the support and the other end acting on the bearing and tending to counterbalance the weight of the reel, a driving member for turning said shaft in all positions of the same and a driving belt looped under said driving member for turning the same, the depression of said shaft acting on .riid driving member to increase the frictional driving connection between the looped belt and said reel.

9. In a device of the class described, a driving member, a driven member bearing on said driving member to be driven frictionally thereby, a take-up reel connected to the driven member and arranged to receive a depending film when under normal tension, said take-up reel and driven member adapted to be held by abnormal tension on said film thereby permitting the driving member to slip by the driven member.

10. In a device of the class described, a

7 driving friction member mounted for rotary movement about a fixed axis of rotation, a driven member resting on the driving member and having an axis of rotation movable relatively thereto, a take-up reel fixed to the driven member to be moved therewith to and from the driving member and means acting through the film for releasing the frictional engagement between the driving and driven members.

L1. In a device of the class described, a driving friction member mounted for rotary movement about a fixed axis of rotation, a driven member resting on the driving member and having an axis of rotation movable relatively thereto a take-up reel fixed to the driven member to be moved therewith to and from the driving member and means acting on the driven member tending to new tralize the frictional engagement between the driven and driving members.

12. I11 a device of the class described, a driving friction member mounted for rotary movement about a fixed axis of rotation, a driven member resting on the driving member and having an axis of rotation movable relatively thereto a take-up reel fixed to the driven member to be moved therewith, means acting on the driven member tending to neutralize the frictional engagement between the drum and driving member and means for adjusting said neutralizing means.

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 8th day of June, A. 191 i.

ROBERT J. Elvl'QittY. 

